


ivory roses

by mooniesuhs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Costume Parties & Masquerades, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27711292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mooniesuhs/pseuds/mooniesuhs
Summary: Ivory roses symbolise charm, thoughtfulness and gracefulness. Doyoung is the ivory, and Taeyong is his rose.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 8
Kudos: 62
Collections: Challenge #3 — soulmates





	ivory roses

**Author's Note:**

> \- here is a playlist i made to go with the fic! you can play it while you read if you like, but it's in no particular order:)  
> [ivory roses playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6w63nSfYk1h2AKBM6RB9Ap)

“Doyoung~” Xiaojun calls out in a sing-songy manner. He skips over to Doyoung’s bedroom and opens the door without knocking, as usual, earning an extra loud groan from underneath the covers.

“Is it so hard to knock? Or let me sleep?” Doyoung whines, regressing further into his duvet.

“You’ve already been moping around in bed all day. Just let me show you this one thing and then you can go back to sleep, ok?” Xiaojun bargains. Doyoung has no other choice but to agree; he’d rather get to the point than play the long (annoying) game with his roommate. “So you know how there’s that yearly soulmate masquerade I’ve always wanted to go to but never got accepted? Well, I registered again this year and look what just came in the mail!” 

“Why are you holding two invitations? Don’t tell me you-”

“I did!” Xiaojun interjects cheerfully. “You can’t back out so you _have_ to come with me on Saturday night. Who knows, maybe we’ll both find a soulmate.”

“I’m not going to look for something that doesn’t exist, Jun,” Doyoung firmly responds.

“Fine. Don’t go because it’s for soulmates. Go for yourself. I’m tired of seeing you mope around all lonely all the time. I want you to be happy, at least for this one night. Please?” Xiaojun entreats. Tongue-tied, Doyoung looks away from the younger. Xiaojun is right— ever since he broke up with Taeil, every day has been nothing short of miserable. “I’ll let you think about it,” Xiaojun says, leaving Doyoung’s invitation on the nightstand.

Four years. For four years, Doyoung thought he was happy with Taeil. He thought that he finally, _finally_ found someone who understood him. He would always make time for the older— when they were in college, he would spend all his lunches and free hours with him. Sometimes he’d even sneak out of lectures just to see him. But did Taeil ever do the same? No. Would he ever? Of course not. Looking back, Doyoung poured his entire heart and soul into the relationship, only to receive barely even half as much from Taeil in return. 

Xiaojun is right. He deserves to be happy. At least for one night.

—

Doyoung’s been to this part of town before, but he wouldn’t have realised that if not for the familiar mural on the brick wall ahead. His brother, Gongmyung, would always bring him here whenever he came to visit, and no matter how many times they passed by it, he’d always make sure to get at least one picture in front of it. 

Turning a corner, all thoughts slip from Doyoung’s mind and are replaced by the beauty and wonder before his eyes. On the floor, a path paved with marble leads to a pair of half-open glass doors. Streams of golden lights seem to float across the night sky, and Doyoung swears that for a second the plating on his ring reflected rose gold instead of its usual silver shine.

“Now _this_ is what I call a masquerade hall,” Xiaojun marvels as they enter through the glass doors. “Is this how Cinderella felt at the ball? If so, sign me up for a prince!” 

Doyoung laughs, “I think any and every prince would run away the moment that mask of yours comes off.” Xiaojun just rolls his eyes—he’s far too wonderstruck to even act hurt by his roommate’s joke. The duo stand still for a moment, taking in all the whimsical designs and decorations that the foyer has to offer. Xiaojun’s eyes are then diverted to a particularly dreamlike man sitting in the center of the room behind a desk. His mask is a regal blue colour layered with white lace and a white feather on the right. Intrigued, Xiaojun drags Doyoung by the arm and approaches the man.

“Good evening. May I see your invitations?” the man greets politely. Xiaojun hands them over without any hesitation, enamoured by the man’s smooth, soothing voice. 

“So… How exactly does this work?” Doyoung asks curiously.

“Great question,” the man responds, handing the invitations back. “They’ll explain later, so for now head to the Garden Hall where the rest of the guests with the numbers 200-299 are. Enjoy the night.” Doyoung thanks the man and briskly pulls Xiaojun away before he can make googly eyes any longer.

The Garden Hall is much different from the foyer—in the center of the room is a large tree with branches that reach out and spread out across the walls. Various flowers and leaves accompany the branch, blending together in perfect harmony. Instead of a ceiling, the entire overhead is a skylight so clear that it feels like the ceiling is made of stars. At the front of the hall is a wide platform, glowing incredible shades of gold. There is a low buzz circulating the room—a buzz full of strangers’ voices, a buzz full of excitement, nerves, and freedom. Every guest wears a mask, and surprisingly, no two are the same. Each mask is unique; some have a feather on one side like the man from the foyer, some simply cover the eyes and are embroidered with glitter and gold, and some are shaped like swans. But there is one mask that catches Doyoung’s eye. It’s hard to see every detail from afar, but this mask is the most unique of all. It covers the left third of the guest’s face, similar to the mask of the Phantom of the Opera. Rather than a feather, the left side of the mask stems into a metallic rose.

“Good evening beloved guests!” A voice greets from the stage. Captivated by the mask with the rose, Doyoung doesn’t even notice the woman on the stage until Xiaojun aggressively nudges him on the arm. “Welcome to this year’s Soulmate Masquerade! I, Solar, will be your Garden Hall host tonight. Majority of you may be wondering how this will work—let me explain. As you are all aware, all of you have a number ranging from 200 to 299. There is one other guest in the room that has the same number as you. So, I will call out the number and if it is yours, come on up to the stage to meet the guest with the same number as you. This person will be your other half for the rest of the evening. You may tell your other half your first name, but you cannot tell anyone else in the room. You may not take off your masks or exchange phone numbers or any other contact information. Whether you meet again or not after tonight... is up to fate. Now, let’s begin calling numbers.”

While Xiaojun stands on his toes in anticipation (and because of his relatively short height compared to the others in the room), Doyoung diverts his attention back to the guest wearing the mask with the rose. No one else in the room has a rose or any flower on their mask. The guest’s suit intrigues him even more. Just like his own, it’s made of velvet.

“215.”

To his dismay, the guest moves closer to the front. _It must be his number._ Even so, Doyoung doesn’t take his eyes off him. Instead, he stretches in every direction so as not to lose sight of the rose.

“If your number is 215, please come to the stage.”

Awoken from his trance by another forceful nudge from Xiaojun, Doyoung realises something.

His number is also 215.

He quickly walks towards the stage, and suddenly, everything feels crooked. He adjusts his mask and straightens out his suit with every step. With all eyes now on him, his fingertips become cold. He’s usually okay with crowds, so that must not be why it feels like his fingers were dipped in ice. Upon reaching the top step of the platform, he finds that he doesn’t care about the crowd’s eyes at all. In fact, it’s as if they don’t exist. All he sees in front of him are a pair of dark, captivating eyes, accompanied by a distinctive, rose shaped scar just below the outer corner of their right eye.

—

“I see we have similar tastes in suits. My name is Taeyong,” the rose guest introduces, reaching out his hand.

“Doyoung,” the latter introduces, completing the handshake. Taeyong’s hands are soft, unbelievably soft. With one touch, his frozen fingertips are back to normal.

“That’s a beautiful ring you have there. Ivory is rare around here,” Taeyong compliments yet again. “It’s shaped like an ivory rose.” _A rose?_ Doyoung’s never thought about that before. Most of the time he just wears the ring without much thought. Maybe… Maybe it isn’t so ugly after all.

“Alright guests! Now that you’ve all met your partners, please make your way to the dance floor so that we can begin the first dance of the night,” Solar announces. 

Somehow, Taeyong didn’t even have to verbally ask Doyoung to dance. All it took was a single extended hand and now here they are, doing the waltz. It’s clear Taeyong has done this before—every one of his steps are so intricate, so graceful. Doyoung can’t help but let him lead. In that moment, the lights dim and the music reaches its climax, and Doyoung doesn’t even have to keep his eyes open anymore. Taeyong seems to notice, for he holds the former’s hand and waist tighter. It feels safe.

When the music ends, Taeyong lifts Doyoung up from the dip and the latter’s eyes open. Once again, he’s met with that pair of black hole eyes that he can’t seem to look away from.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Taeyong asks, not breaking eye contact. He is mesmerised by Doyoung’s dark chocolate, doe-like eyes. They’re sweet with a bitter kick, full of depth and stories that would probably take years to tell. He certainly wouldn’t mind listening to Doyoung’s voice for the rest of his life.

Looking down, Doyoung replies, “No.” Taeyong’s face droops slightly.

“Why not?” It’s like Doyoung’s eyes have a mind of their own— every time he tries to look away, his eyes find themselves back in Taeyong’s eyes. He tries to tell himself it’s because he has the courtesy to look people in the eye when they speak, but he knows that’s definitely not the case. There’s just something… different about the way Taeyong looks at him.

“I haven’t met anyone that’s given me a reason to believe soulmates exist,” Doyoung explains plainly. 

“Well,” Taeyong starts, pursing his lips. “Maybe I can change that.” With that, he takes Doyoung’s hand and begins to dance again. Unlike the waltz, there are no laid out steps and no specific music. It’s just Taeyong and Doyoung, doing whatever they please. It’s just Taeyong and Doyoung, two pairs of eyes that know exactly where to look.

A few hours later, the night comes to a close. Even so, the pair refuse to leave. Only a small crowd of people are left in the Garden Hall, including Xiaojun, whose partner left minutes ago. He waits for Doyoung by the door, exhausted and slightly disappointed that there isn’t another dance. He misses the pink haired man he just met. Being the optimistic soulmate believer he is, he’s sure they’ll find each other again.

“Tonight was… fun,” Doyoung smiles. “I still don’t think I believe in soulmates. If we meet again though, maybe my mind will change.”

“Then I’ll look forward to the next time we meet, Doyoung,” Taeyong concludes. Before parting ways, he gently plants a kiss on the back of Doyoung’s right hand, which is adorned by the ivory ring on his index finger.

—

“Why do you keep staring at your ring like that?” Xiaojun asks Doyoung, who’s been lying on the couch, examining each angle of his ring for at least 20 minutes now.

“I just… I could’ve sworn the silver parts in the middle looked rose gold last night,” he claims.

“It was probably just the lighting,” Xiaojun dismisses. “I’m going to the café across the street, wanna come?”

“You’re just going soulmate hunting aren’t you,” Doyoung deadpans, slipping his ring back on. “Just get me an americano or something. I’m still tired from last night.”

After Xiaojun leaves, Doyoung decides to keep his mind off of the ring by making some brunch. _Yeah, that should distract me enough,_ he thinks. In the back of his mind, he knows it’s not just the ring that’s gnawing at his brain. It’s also the enchanting eyes from last night that embraced him, and the intricate rose shaped scar that never left his sight.

Two minutes later, the doorbell unexpectedly rings and upon opening the door, Doyoung gasps quietly, “It’s you.” On the other side of the door is the owner of those exact features, wearing a light grey sweatshirt tucked into his blue jeans. Doyoung typically doesn’t like to wear grey himself, but he’d gladly buy Taeyong any piece of grey clothing if he ever asked for it. _Is that weird? Yes, Doyoung, that is most definitely weird._

“I think we might be soulmates,” Taeyong breathlessly states out of the blue.

—

“So tell me again how you got here?” Doyoung confusedly queries, handing Taeyong a mug of black tea. 

“I just… there was something telling me that I had to go see you. I don’t even know how I knew I would find you here but I just _felt_ you would be and here you are. You probably think I sound insane right now,” Taeyong babbles on, seemingly disoriented by his own subconscious. Doyoung half-smiles, making Taeyong’s heart skip half a beat. _Again, weird._

“Honestly, you don’t sound insane at all. After last night a lot of things were… weird for me too,” Doyoung calmly replies. “Like, I swear the plating on my ring is normally silver, but I’m sure it was rose gold last night. And I guess now it’s my turn to sound a bit strange because this morning I… I kept thinking about you and your _unbelievably_ pretty eyes and that cute little rose shaped scar and next thing I know you’re here.”

“You can see my scar? I’ve had it ever since I was born, and not once has anyone seen it. Not even my parents or my doctor. They all said I was probably imagining things.”

“It was one of the first things I noticed about you last night. Like I said, it’s shaped like a delicate little ivory rose. It’s… one of a kind,” Doyoung compliments.

“Just like your ring,” Taeyong gently adds. “Speaking of, it’s rose gold again.” Doyoung looks down at his hands and sees that indeed, the plating is rose gold again. This time however, it’s glowing. It shines the same way Taeyong’s eyes did the first time they met.

“You know… last night you asked me if I believed in soulmates,” Doyoung begins, looking sincerely into Taeyong’s eyes. “I immediately said no. But now after everything that’s been happening since we met, I think my answer is different.”

“So do you believe in soulmates?” Taeyong asks again.

“Maybe.”

**Author's Note:**

> \- thank you so much to my friends and beta reader who helped me with this!!  
> \- sorry to the mods for taking forever to submit this hhh  
> \- this is technically my first real work on ao3 so i hope yall enjoyed it:D ok thanks again bye hehe  
> \- twt: [mooniesuhs](https://twitter.com/mooniesuhs)


End file.
